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Advanced Clean Electricity
Advanced Clean Electricity
Advanced Clean Electricity
Advanced Clean Electricity

Timeline

Step Date
1 The companies release RFI, projects begin to submit intent to respond. March 19
2 The companies host first informational session to address questions. March 26 11am PT / 2pm ET
3 The companies host a second informational session to address questions. April 3 12pm PT / 3pm ET
4 Projects submit completed RFI responses. Submit by April 12
5 The companies review all responses and evaluates them based on the criteria listed below. Mid-April
6 Projects selected to proceed to detailed diligence phase will be notified. Mid/late April
7 The companies conduct detailed diligence. Further information and/or conversations may be requested. Mid/late-April - Mid-June
8 The companies will notify projects of intent to proceed with commercial discussions. Mid-June
9 The companies will complete first round of power purchase agreements. ~Q1 2025

Evaluation Criteria

We are open to a wide variety of generation technologies with an emphasis on those in earlier stages of commercialization. Our intent is to accelerate the deployment and learning curve for early-stage technologies, rather than expand the markets for established carbon-free electricity sources. Our evaluation guidelines are listed below; however, we encourage projects to respond even if they do not meet all criteria.

  1. Technology maturity: First-of-a-kind technology that has been successfully demonstrated outside of a lab setting but is not widely commercialized, likely at a technology readiness level (TRL) of 6 or above.

  2. Generation profile: Primarily focused on firm, dispatchable power generation capable of achieving a capacity factor >50% (higher preferred). For energy storage or green hydrogen projects, we would look for hybrid projects combining the advanced technology system with a portfolio of renewables that can achieve the target capacity factor.

  3. Emissions profile: Carbon-free or generates <100 g CO2e/kWh on a life-cycle basis (e.g., including upstream emissions for projects with carbon capture; a formal, detailed life-cycle analysis is not required in this RFI response).

  4. Traceability: Line of site to having the ability to produce hourly Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs) for electricity delivered by the project.

  5. Capacity: Project capacity will ideally be >50 MW. We are also open to aggregating a portfolio of smaller projects to achieve scale. For energy storage projects, we are looking for discharge durations of 8 hours or greater (with >12 hours preferred).

  6. Cost: Pathway to becoming cost competitive with existing power sources by 2040 or sooner.

  7. Scalability: Pathway to scale technology to 100 GW+ of total deployments globally by 2040.

  8. Components: Where available and competitive from a price, quality, and sustainability perspective, usage of materials, goods and components manufactured in the United States.

  9. Geography: Located within the United States, with a preference for projects in PJM.

  10. Additionality: Results in net new clean electrons delivered to the grid.

  11. Safety/ecosystem: Working towards highest standards of safety, compliance, environmental outcomes; actively mitigates risks.

  12. Site control: Projects ideally have identified a site, with control of the site confirmed (e.g., through purchase, lease, etc.) or a clear path to control of the site (e.g., option to purchase or lease).

  13. Development timeline: Projects will ideally have a target commercial operation date (COD) in 2030 or earlier, but projects slated to begin after 2030 are also encouraged to apply.

  14. Team: Company and project team with expertise and capabilities to deliver on project, including a developer or utility partner if project is not being developed by the technology provider. (Note: The companies can facilitate relationships across technology providers, developers, EPCM firms, and others to ensure project success. Projects are encouraged to reply to the RFI even if all partnerships have not been secured.)

Individual Company Sustainability Goals

Google has a goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030. Google aims to reduce 50% of its Scope 1, 2, & 3 emissions by 2030 relative to a 2019 baseline. Key levers to achieve this goal include operational and value chain emissions reductions, carbon-free energy, and atmospheric carbon dioxide removal. Additionally, Google has set a goal to run on 24/7 carbon-free energy on every grid that they operate on by 2030.

Microsoft plans to be carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste by 2030. This goal is an essential step in their long-term plan to remove the equivalent of all historical emissions by 2050. Microsoft has committed to 100/100/0 by 2030, which means they will match 100% of all electricity consumption, 100% of the time, with zero carbon energy sources.

Nucor is a leading diversified steelmaker in North America with net-zero emissions targets for 2050. As the largest recycler in America, sustainability is at the core of their operations. Nucor is a part of The United Nations 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Global Compact and was the first major industrial company to join this global effort.

Google
Microsoft
Nucor

Frequently Asked Questions

RFI Scope

  • Location selection will be an ongoing process as we receive more information. PJM is a priority geography, and notable second priority geographies include WECC and Santee Cooper. However, across the three companies there is electricity demand in almost every region in the US and therefore we are open to any US-based submission.

  • Any electricity usage for charging LDES or producing green hydrogen must be charged using time-matched clean electricity, including the retirement of the associated hourly matched REC. In accordance with our additionality principle, we strongly prefer that electricity is sourced from either:

    1. Greenfield clean electricity production with offtake tied to the LDES or green hydrogen facility

    2. Existing clean electricity production from assets that are regularly curtailed

    For this RFI, clean electricity is defined as emitting <100 g CO2e/kWh including upstream emissions.

  • The RFI is technology neutral and open to responses from any project as long as it can meet the listed evaluation criteria (e.g., providing clean, firm power at capacity factors >50%). If your proposed project is a portfolio of different clean generation sources (including storage), please include the anticipated combined capacity factor. Beyond the supply of clean, firm electricity, we intend to support the deployment of first-of-a-kind technologies.

  • Because we expect offtake agreements from this RFI will be signed between the project and the three companies, it will be difficult to effectively deliver power from a BTM asset. Therefore, BTM projects are not a focus of the RFI.

  • We are looking for technologies that have already been demonstrated outside of a lab setting, likely at a TRL or 6 or greater. For project development, our preference is for projects that have site control and can achieve COD ahead of 2030, but we are open to submissions with longer development timelines. Please describe your development stage and key risks/mitigations for your projected COD in your RFI response.

  • We are only interested in signing offtake agreements for electricity as part of this RFI process.

  • We are looking for projects more in line with a baseload product that can provide >50% capacity factor, though higher capacity factors are preferred.

  • We are looking for projects that are at least 50 MW. Portfolios of that have an aggregated capacity of at least 50 MW will also be considered.

  • Storage qualifies if the project also proposes a strategy for procuring the electricity in line with the additionality principles defined above. We are not looking to separately contract the electricity and the storage. A storage project that meets the listed criteria and can support three separate offtakers will qualify.

RFI Logistics

  • Estimated figures are preferred over blank answers. We know many projects may be in the early stages and anticipate that some figures will be estimates. It is ok to share a range and indicate where there is still uncertainty.

  • Yes, you can respond for multiple projects. If the projects are substantially similar (i.e., your answers would be similar for almost all of the questions), feel free to use question 4(n) to answer. If the projects differ significantly, please submit the projects separately. If there is remaining uncertainty, please email info@advancedcleanelectricity.com and explain your situation.

  • The information submitted by supplier will be shared among Google, Microsoft, and Nucor and supporting analysts and contractors for project evaluation purposes only. Should supplier’s submission be selected for additional evaluation past the RFI stage, such supplier will enter into a formal non-disclosure agreement with the parties.

  • The criteria are indicative of what the companies are looking for when making procurement decisions, but we understand that not every project will meet every criteria. There is no ranked order of weight of the criteria - projects will be evaluated holistically based on all 14 factors.

  • We ask for as much detail as you can provide so we can make more informed decisions. However, we know that some information may not be readily available for first-of-a-kind projects, so we understand if there are details or questions that cannot yet be answered.

  • If the submitting project puts together their own consortia for project development, there is no preference between consortia vs individuals. There is a preference for companies that come with fully formed teams rather than partially formed projects that require the companies to play the matchmaker role.

  • We have not defined a specific requirement or standard at this time. This will not be a screening criteria in the RFI.

  • We will evaluate cost criteria with both the current proposed PPA price and the cost reduction potential for 2040. We are looking for a reasonably economic pathway to purchasing clean power and have the expectation that first-of-a-kind technologies will have higher costs to start but will be able to become cost-competitive incumbent sources over time.

Role of the Companies

  • Our commitment is to proving out the demand model for first-of-a-kind, firm, clean electricity technologies. While our goal is to sign offtake agreements with projects, we anticipate other support mechanisms will be necessary to accelerate project deployment. As projects continue through the diligence process, we will engage in conversations to understand what measures may be needed beyond offtake. If there are specific areas of support your project may require, we encourage you to highlight them as part of your RFI submission.

  • We would like submissions to come with as much of a developed project and team as possible. While our intention is not to play the role of matchmaker as part of this procurement, if we see opportunities in the RFI responses to pair respondents (e.g., developers, capital partners, and technology providers) we are open to doing so.

  • At this time, we are focusing only on our first round of offtake. Our goal is to prove out the demand model for novel technologies.

  • The companies are open to discussing what terms and offtake structures would make a project successful. Projects selected for procurement will likely sign separate offtake agreements with each of the three companies. We anticipate contracts will be within the range of 10-15 years but understand projects may be first-of-a-kind and require exceptions.

  • A specific willingness to pay has not yet been determined by the companies.

  • There is no set number, but it should be a large enough share of the total project output that the offtake allows the project to be financed and built. The offtake capacity should be 50 MW or greater.

Contact us at info@advancedcleanelectricity.com with any questions